I love my coffee in the morning and, on occasion, I enjoy iced coffee, especially those blended ones from coffee emporiums. But when I drink hot coffee, I use one of those insulated cups to keep it really hot because lukewarm coffee is good for nothing! It’s the same for lukewarm Christians. Where are you on God’s thermometer of faith? Is God’s warning to the lukewarm Christians in the Laodicean church for you? Why could this post be more important to you than you think, possibly even eternally important?
Also, read about the tongue and the importance of allowing the Holy Spirit to help you control it and how the fear of man (trying to please people) is a trap!
Welcome to “God’s Word Day by Day.” Why not make the coming year the best ever when it comes to your understanding and enjoyment of Scripture by signing up for these daily devotionals?
And now on to the Word …
Are You a Lukewarm Christian?
Revelation 3.1-22:
Neither Cold nor Hot
In chapters 3 and 4, Jesus gives John a message for seven churches, representative of all churches. In today’s reading, He begins by addressing the Laodicean church in 3.4-21:
14 “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, … “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— 18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
Lukewarm. Neither cold nor hot.
Good for Nothing
As I said in the introduction, I love coffee. It’s the first thing I want in the morning (besides the Lord and His Word)! But lukewarm coffee … yuk!
It’s the same with our faith. Lukewarm is good for nothing.
Lukewarm Christians may believe in God. They may even go to church regularly, but their relationship with God doesn’t always impact the way they live their lives the rest of the week. They may believe the Bible, but when push comes to shove, they don’t stand up for the truths in it.
Peter & Paul
A friend and I were talking about this passage in Galatians 2:
11 But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. 12 When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile Christians, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. 13 As a result, other Jewish Christians followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.
14 When I saw that they were not following the truth of the gospel message, I said to Peter in front of all the others, “Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are you now trying to make these Gentiles follow the Jewish traditions?
In this instance, it seems Peter was acting like a lukewarm Christian. He didn’t want to look “fanatical” to his Jewish friends so he compromised the truth. Paul, on the other hand, was “hot” about the truth. We’ve probably all had those lukewarm moments, moments of which we are not especially proud, and I’m sure it was a momentary thing with Peter. But we need to grow in our willingness to be hot for the things of God.
No Power to Be Hot
Sometimes our “lukewarm-ness” can reveal something even more concerning. It could indicate that we’re not genuine believers. While this passage is addressed to lukewarm Christians, those who are unsaved can act religiously (Matt. 7.21-23) but not have the power to be hot for God when the going gets rough.
At least someone who is cold or someone who has rejected the truths of God knows they are not right with Him. But in our lukewarm-ness we can deceive ourselves into thinking we’re “OK.”
That’s what happens when we are hearers of the Word and not doers (Jas. 1.22-25). So while we think we are “OK,” we are really “wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked” just like the Laodiceans—wretched and miserable in God’s view, blind to the truths of God and naked—not fooling Him for a minute. The only ones we are fooling are ourselves.
So, let’s be hot for the things of God this Christmas season and throughout the New Year!
Note: If you are not sure about your relationship with God and don’t know if you died tonight you would spend eternity with Him, I hope you’ll read one or both of the following posts. I know I provide these links frequently and I don’t apologize for it. If someone who shows up here one day (or someone who visits frequently), reads and makes a commitment to Christ, it’s the most important thing that could ever be accomplished through a Christian post.
“Do You Live with a Sense of Guilt?”
“Could You Be a Christian in Name Only?”
Today’s Other Readings:
Amos 1-3:
God Who Reveals Himself
Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets (3.7).
Even though God is God and His thoughts and plans are so far above ours that they can never be fully understood (Is.55.8-9), He chooses to reveal Himself to us through the gift of language, in particular, the Scriptures. That is why it is so important to read, study, meditate on, and memorize His Word.
Psalm 141.1-4:
Keep Watch over my Lips
Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips (v. 3).
Apart from God, the tongue is an evil no one can control (Jas. 3.8). We must constantly submit our tongues to the control of the Holy Spirit.
Proverbs 29.25:
The Fear of Man
The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe.
If the “fear of man” is a snare or a trap, it’s important that we understand, exactly, what it is so we can avoid it. The fear of man is a strong desire to please other people. It’s always wondering what someone will think of us. It’s staying home or not getting involved for fear of rejection. Sometimes, it masquerades as “shyness,” but is really a focus on self, rather than on God and others.
Instead, we should have a servant’s heart toward others and focus on loving them biblically out of a desire to please God. When we do, we take our focus off of ourselves and place it where it belongs … on Him (Phil. 2.3-4, Matt. 22.37-40).
Coming Up
In the next few days, we’ll talk about grace, unfair treatment, being a Christian single, and the responsibility involved in being a true friend. I hope you’ll join us.
Get Ready for the Coming Year with a Plan for Your Bible Reading
The holidays are just around the corner and the new year will be on us before we know it. What will you do to make Bible reading an ongoing habit in the coming year? I want to encourage you to set a goal to read through the Bible again or for the first time. If you join me here, I’ll take you through a plan that covers both the Old and New Testaments in about 15 minutes a day. Sign up here for my daily email. It can serve as a gentle reminder to stay on track and I believe you’ll benefit from the additional background and application comments that I share.
Start today so you can begin the habit and it will be a regular part of your day come January.
You can also follow me on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest. Just click on the social media icons. But nothing replaces having the daily devotion pop up in your inbox each day. It, usually (once in a while life gets in the way), goes out at 6 a.m. MST.
Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
Note about this post:
I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer.
A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”
I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)
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